1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to turning, control, and drive-train systems in roadway vehicles; and more particularly, to a mechanical system adapted for facilitating a lateral maneuver, such as the type performed during parallel parking/unparking, or enabling direct lateral travel by the vehicle.
2. Background Art
Automotive vehicles have long used various mechanical systems such as front wheel steering to control the direction of travel. More particularly, steering columns comprising a rack and pinion have traditionally been used to turn a front pair of laterally spaced tires/wheels that engage the ground (i.e., roadway, surface, etc.). For operable performance, these traditional systems require proper construction and maintenance, including a maximum tire toe in/toe out spatial relationship. Concernedly, and with respect to the present invention, these systems are primarily designed for longitudinal travel, and often produce excessive acoustical emission and tire wear during a lateral maneuver, due to sliding friction. Moreover, traditional systems are unable to effect direct lateral travel, irrespective of proper construction and maintenance.
Rigid Mecanum and omni-directional wheels have been introduced in other applications (e.g., wheel chairs, factory equipment, etc.) that directly enable travel in a lateral direction; however, these systems are limited to low-speed applications and dramatically affect the regular longitudinal ride and handling characteristics of the applied machines. As such, Mecanum and omni-directional wheels have achieved limited application in the automotive arts.